65-pound mountain lion attacked 5-yr-old playing outside his house — heroic mom did the unimaginable to save him

The boy was playing near a tree when the mom heard noise and ran outside to see what was happening.

PUBLISHED 9 HOURS AGO

(L) The mountain lion involved in the attack. (R) A little boy covering his eyes out of fear in an outdoor setting. Representative Cover Image Source: YouTube | KCAL News; Getty Images | Cavan Images

A parent often goes to great lengths to protect their kid. However, a mom went beyond that when she fought off a mountain lion to protect her 5-year-old. The 65-pound (30 kg) lion had attacked the kid while he was playing near his house. The mom rushed outside after she heard the commotion and was shocked to see what was happening. She immediately got to her kid and bravely helped him escape the lion, per The Guardian.

The close-up image of a mountain lion. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Colin Langford

The mountain lion attacked the boy and dragged him around 45 yards across the front lawn before the mom intervened. "The true hero of this story is his mom because she absolutely saved her son’s life," Captain Patrick Foy, a spokesman with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the outlet. The woman ran outside after she heard some noise outside her house. "She ran out of the house and started punching and striking the mountain lion with her bare hands and got him off her son," Foy added. Once she had managed to separate the lion from her son, the mom and dad rushed their son to a hospital to get him checked for any possible injuries and more.

A boy crying while standing in an outdoor setting. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Laurie Rubin

The boy suffered quite a few injuries on his head and upper torso because of the attack and being dragged across the yard, but was in a stable condition at the hospital, per Foy. Once the family reached the hospital, the law enforcement was notified about the attack and a wildlife officer went to the scene. The officer reached the house and spotted a mountain lion crouching behind the bush and hissing at the officer with its ears back. "Due to its behavior and proximity to the attack, the warden believed it was likely the attacking lion and to protect public safety, shot and killed it on sight," the wildlife department said in a statement.

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DNA tests were conducted on the child and it was confirmed that the mountain lion that was shot was indeed the one that attacked the kid. However, another mountain lion was spotted in the area and the officers tranquilised it and checked its DNA to make sure that it was not involved in the attack. It was then released into the wild safely after it was confirmed that the mountain lion was not a threat to the human population in the area. The boy was playing near a tree at that time, making it easier for the mountain lion to attack, per KCAL News. The mountain lion was a kitten from the litter of two males from P54. The lioness had the kittens around 8 months before the attack.

The mountain lions of that age are learning to attack, hunt and look after themselves. The instances of such attacks on humans are very rare and the officials said that the attack on the boy probably happened because he was so small. The kitten's mom, P54, was nearby as well with her other kitten. The other one was tranquilised and left far away, and a GPS tracker was attached to him to ensure that he didn't venture into areas where people live. The kitten and his mom, P54, were left in the forest together, according to the outlet.